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During the year medical practitioners sent 142 throat swabbings to
the Lister Instiute for bacterioscopic diagnosis, as compared with 115 in
1914. Of the 142 specimens, 97, or 68 per cent., were 6ent by the
Victoria Hospital in respect of Chelsea children. Of the total 142
specimens, 30, or 21 per cent., afforded positive evidence of the
diphtheria bacillus, and 112, or 79 per cent., were negative. In 1914 the
positives were 19 per cent., and the negatives 81 per cent.
The number of cases of enteric fever notified was 19, as against 23
in 1914. Of the total of 19 cases, 2 were soldier patients in military
hospitals, and not ordinarily Chelsea residents. Of the remaining 17
cases, in 4 the diagnosis was not confirmed at the hospitals to which the
patients were removed. In another case, kept at home, the disease was
probably not enteric fever. In 2 cases the patients were infected prior
to arrival in Chelsea—one in Spain and the other whilst caravanning in
Oxfordshire. There were, therefore, only 10 cases of enteric fever out of
the 19 notified in which it seems probable that the infection was contracted
within the Borough. There were no deaths; 79 per cent. of the
cases were removed to hospital.
Six specimens of blood from suspected cases were sent to the Lister
Institute. Three gave positive and 3 negative results.
The deaths in Chelsea in 1915 from diarrhoea and enteritis were 18
in number, as compared with 28 in 1914. Fifteen of the deaths were of
infants under 1 year, and 2 were between 1 and 2 years of age. Only 5
deaths occurred in the summer quarter of the year, as compared with 11
in 1914, 13 in 1913, 2 in 1912, and 48 in 1911. Only 7 cases of infantile
diarrhoea were visited by the Health Visitor in 1915, as compared with 64
cases in 1914.
Influenza caused 19 deaths in 1915, as against 13 in 1914.
The number of deaths from respiratory diseases was 276 in 1915, as
compared with 180 in 1914. Under 5 years of age there were 48 deaths,
against 24 in 1914; over 45 years of age there were 200 deaths, as against
136 in 1914. The year was one of marked prevalence and fatality from
diseases of the respiratory organs.
The deaths from pulmonary tuberculosis in 1915 numbered 88 (57
males and 31 females). Other tubercular diseases caused 19 deaths
(11 males, 8 females). Of the pulmonary tuberculosis cases ending
fatally, 37.5 per cent. died in the Chelsea Infirmary, and 27.3 per cent. in
other public institutions: that is to say, 64.8 per cent. died away from
their homes. In 1914 the corresponding figure was 63.1 per cent.
During the year 119 new cases of pulmonary tuberculosis were
notified, as against 157 in 1914, 63 being males and 56 females. Of the
notified cases of pulmonary tuberculosis on the register, 54 died during
the course of the year. Seventy-five specimens of sputum were sent by
medical practitioners to the Lister Institute for examination, as against
70 in 1914. Of the 75 specimens, 32 per cent, were positive for T B.,
and 68 per cent, negative; the figures for 1914 being 37 per cent. positive
and 63 per cent. negative.
During 1915, 40 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis were discharged
from open-air sanatoria, in which they had received institutional treatment
as "insured persons" under the sanatorium benefit provided by the
London Insurance Committee. The average duration of the stay of these
40 persons in the sanatoria was 3.3 months, as against 3.2 in 1914 and